2025 Maryland Legislative Wrap Up

by Jane Seigler, MHC Government Relations Committee Co-Chair (first published in the May 2025 Equiery)

Well, that was interesting . . .

Maryland’s General Assembly adjourned its regular session at midnight on Monday, April 7. Each bill that passes both chambers (Senate and House) then proceeds to the Governor’s desk, where he can sign it into law, veto it or let it sit. Bills that he neither signs nor vetoes become law without his signature. Normally, the legislature would not reconvene until next January, but legislative leadership has indicated that some actions at the federal level might impact Maryland in a way that will require a Special Session in late summer or early fall of this year.

This was in many ways an extraordinary session, as many of the legislators themselves have commented. A great deal of the legislature’s time and energy this session was consumed by the budget. Late last year, budget predictions indicated that Maryland would face a $3 billion deficit for fiscal year 2026. Then the new federal Administration was sworn in and uncertainty surrounding the availability of federal funds for a vast array of programs administered by the state, plus the economic impact of the firings of many thousands of Maryland-based federal workers, compounded the problem. In the end, the legislature, which is required by the state Constitution to pass a balanced budget, passed a budget balanced with $2 billion in spending cuts and $1.6 billion in new taxes and fees. See below for information about how the final budget affects horses and agriculture in general.

In a stunning and unanticipated eleventh hour development, legislators zeroed out funding in the budget for the Maryland Racetrack Operating Authority, thus effectively repealing the portions of the 2023 statute that created the MTROA. As initially conceived, MTROA was intended to oversee the transition of the industry from a privately run sport into an industry largely managed by the state, including the closure of Laurel Park and the major renovation of Pimlico. In a striking example of “legislating via budget making,” the legislature dissolved MTROA, and gave oversight of the Pimlico renovations and construction of a training center at Shamrock Farm in Woodbine to the Maryland Stadium Authority. Day to day racing operations will be conducted by a new nonprofit that will take the name of the Maryland Jockey Club and will be under the auspices of the existing Maryland Economic Development Commission.

Lots more interesting stuff lurks in the budget.
Here is the final status of bills we were active on or monitored during this Session.

BILLS THAT PASSED
Equine Related

SB 240/HB 262 changes the designated seat on the MD Agricultural Commission from “a representative of the horse–breeding industry” to “a representative of the equine industry.”
SB 968 would have authorized the Department of Natural Resources to enter into use agreements with volunteers to facilitate the use of motor vehicles and motorized equipment for the purpose of maintaining existing paths within the Patuxent River Wildland to ensure clear and safe access for first responders. The bill was amended in Committee to delete the broad requirement for use agreements with volunteers to maintain clear access.

Animal Welfare

SB 152/HB 89 imposes stricter sentencing procedures for crimes of animal cruelty.
SB 80 raises penalties of imprisonment for up to three years and a fine not to exceed $5,000 or both for the abuse or neglect of an animal if the abuse or neglect results in the death or euthanasia of the animal; and authorizes the court, as a condition of sentencing, to prohibit the defendant from owning, possessing, or residing with an animal for a period of time determined by the court.
SB 318/HB 643 expands an existing educational loan repayment assistance program to apply to veterinarians and vet techs who have either been an employee in the state for five years or volunteered for at least 100 hours for at least three years at an animal shelter.

Racing Related

SB 595/HB 337 provides supplemental local impact aid to Anne Arundel County, Howard County, and the City of Laurel for health and mental health services and other services for backstretch workers at Laurel while Laurel remains open.

Nonprofits & Business

SB 365/HB 541 establishes a nonprofit organization navigator within the Department of Commerce to work with nonprofits and units of State government to resolve complexities and delays in State grant-making processes and to represent nonprofit interests and concerns as a member of the Maryland Efficient Grant Application Council.
SB 184/HB 239 authorizes the Secretary of State to suspend payment of certain late fees assessed to charitable organizations that fail to file an annual report under certain circumstances; and authorizes the Secretary of State to cancel a charitable organization’s registration or reinstate a charitable organization’s canceled registration under certain circumstances.
SB 49/HB 107 requires a person who makes an automatic renewal offer to consumers to allow a consumer to cancel the automatic renewal in a certain manner; and requires automatic renewal offers to be displayed in a certain manner and contain certain information.

Hunting

SB 100/HB 857 authorizes hunters who wound a deer during legal hunting hours to pursue and kill the deer after legal hunting hours.

General Agriculture Related

SB 203/HB 225 alters weight limits, required document possession, and required record keeping for large vehicles hauling farm products, including livestock.
SB 428/HB 506 establishes the Maryland Leaders in Environmentally Engaged Farming (LEEF) Program Fund to support and provide incentives for agricultural and conservation best practices. MDA has been holding focus sessions with farmers as it designs this program, and MHC has been invited to, and participated in, each of those sessions. Funding for the program remains unclear. See The President’s Letter for more information about the budget provisions for this bill. There were many, many bills addressing the Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project, and utility and transmission line siting in general. Only one passed.
SB 931/HB1036 alters the factors the Public Service Commission must consider before taking final action on a certificate of public convenience and necessity; establishes certain requirements for the construction of a solar energy generating station or energy storage device; and requires the Commission to conduct a study to establish a process by which the Commission may establish partnerships between electric companies and electricity suppliers for electricity generation projects. This bill had substantial opposition from the ag community, due to fears that it removes much local zoning control from the siting approval process, and would thus result in the loss of farm land. An amendment was added which would restrict the state’s zoning/siting authority after 5% of a county’s priority preserved acres are built on with solar installations. After that 5% ceiling is hit, counties can restrict solar on the remaining 95% of farmland.

Bills That Did Not Pass
Business Related

SB 105/HB 145 would have established a Green and Renewable Energy for Nonprofit Organizations Loan Program to provide financial assistance in the form of no-interest loans to small nonprofit organizations for the planning, purchase, and installation of qualifying energy systems.
SB 642 would have amended last year’s controversial bill making written waivers of ordinary negligence unenforceable in lawsuits. The bill would have restricted the law’s application to just indoor trampoline parks. At the hearing, members of the Judicial Proceedings Committee seemed very receptive to amending the law to exempt equestrian facilities.
SB 658/HB 1288 would have permitted noncompete clauses that apply while employment is ongoing, i.e., “moonlighting.”
SB 584/HB 113 would have repealed the cap on noneconomic (commonly referred to as “pain and suffering”) damages in civil actions for personal injury or wrongful death. These damages are currently capped at $950,000 in Maryland.
SB 938/HB 1096 would have prohibited a person from knowingly making or using, or causing to be made or used, a false record or statement resulting in underpayments of unemployment insurance contributions or payment of unemployment insurance benefits of more than a certain amount; and altered the enforcement mechanisms of the Maryland Wage and Hour Law, the Maryland Wage Payment and Collection Law, workplace fraud laws, living wage laws, and prevailing wage laws.
SB 1045/HB 1554 would have imposed a 2.5% tax on certain services if both the provider of the service and the buyer are business entities.

Racing Related

SB 982/HB 1048 would have authorized Historical Horse Racing at certain racetracks and other facilities.
HB 856 would have provided a funding mechanism for the race courses at Fair Hill by redirecting, if and when Rosecroft Raceway closed, funds in the Racetrack Facility Renewal Account allocated to Rosecroft, to Fair Hill instead.

Hunting

SB 417/HB 832 authorizing year round Sunday hunting in Carroll County.
SB 272/HB 882 authorizing all day Sunday hunting in the archery season, and reducing the safety zone from 150 yards to 50 yards from certain buildings in Prince Georges County.
HB 654 rolling back the 10:30 am closing time restriction on Sunday hunting in Wicomico county.
SB 796 rolling back the 10:30 am closing time restriction on Sunday hunting in Dorchester County.
SB 634/HB741 among other things, would have required fox chasers to purchase full hunting licenses, but would exempt fox chasers from the requirement to take hunter safety courses. This bill was amended in Committee to delete the requirement to license fox chasers.

General Agriculture Related

SB 990/HB 1345 would have required, to make a claim under a warranty for certain agricultural equipment, a consumer to provide written notice to report a nonconformity, defect, or condition occurring in the agricultural equipment; required certain parties to correct the nonconformity, defect, or condition in a certain manner; required certain parties to provide a consumer with the opportunity to replace the equipment or receive a refund under certain circumstances.
SB 736/HB 1511 would have established the Wildlife Damage Prevention and Reimbursement Fund to reimburse a person for damage caused by deer, geese, and other wildlife to crops and other agricultural products.
SB 958/HB 1024 authorizing the Department of Agriculture to take extraordinary measures to control local deer populations and prevent future crop loss if the Department determines that deer have caused catastrophic damage to a field; and defines “catastrophic damage” as the loss of 50% or more of crops from a single field.
HB 907 would have imposed notice requirements for jurisdictions removing a property tax credit on urban agricultural properties, defined to include properties where “raising livestock” is conducted and that engage in “agricultural education and agritourism activities.”
HB 766 would have required that the DNR Wildlife Advisory Commission member appointed to represent the farming community be selected from a list of candidates provided by the Maryland Farm Bureau. We discussed with the Farm Bureau the idea that at least one of those names should come from the equestrian community.

Other Bills

SB 627/HB7 would have allowed bicycles to move through intersections without stopping at stops signs under certain circumstances.
HB 1393 would put new requirements on “youth sports programs” below the high school level of play (including riding programs), covering things like background checks for personnel, whether paid or volunteer, and removal and return to play policies after injuries. This could apply to pony clubs.
HB 549 authorizing an individual to bring a nuisance action for damages caused by rodent harborage on certain real property against a property owner, owner’s agent, or property manager; authorizing a landlord to bring a breach of lease action against a tenant for behavior that causes or contributes to rodent harborage; and providing that a nuisance action may not be brought under the Act if the rodent harborage occurs on property that is zoned for agricultural use and is actually and primarily used as agricultural property.

Bills That were Withdrawn Prior to a Vote

SB 380/HB 162 would require licensing of breeders (except for “horse racing and Standardbred stables or farms using horses for working or cultivating the soil or herding or cutting livestock”) by the Maryland Horse Industry Board. MHIB currently licenses boarding, lesson, and rental stables, and rescues and sanctuaries. The issue has been the subject of discussions with MDA and MHIB for about a year. After the bills were introduced, and after further discussions with MHIB and the bills’ sponsors about definitions and other details, the bills were withdrawn in favor of a working group to study the issue further over the summer.
SB 778 would have prohibited the Department of the Environment from requiring an owner, lessor, lessee, or operator of an agricultural building to apply to the Department for an exemption from certain building energy performance standards.

Maryland’s FY26 Operating and Capital Budget
Here is the lowdown on final budget provisions that affect horses, horse people, horse businesses and agriculture in general. Some of the budget ramifications are good; most of them are not so good.

The Good

Prince George’s County will receive a total of $9.3 million in capital funds for construction and redevelopment around Rosecroft Raceway and the former Bowie Race Course. These funds were mandated by the 2023 legislation that authorized the “Pimlico Plus” plan for Thoroughbred racing.
The Fair Hill Training Center will get $1 million in capital funds to help bring racing back to Fair Hill.
The Maryland Department of Agriculture will receive at least $500,000 for its new Leaders in Environmentally Engaged Farming (LEEF), which will create incentives for farmers – including horse farmers – to increase their farm stewardship best management practices.
The Department of Natural Resources will receive $100,000 to maintain safety access in the Annapolis Rock Wildlands, pending an agreement or MOU with a volunteer or emergency group.
The Maryland Polo Club received a $25,000 legislative bond for maintenance and storage facilities at its Monkton location.
The Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemens Association (MTHA) will be permitted to divert 3% instead of 2% from the lottery-funded purse account for MTHA’s administrative overhead.

The Not So Good
The Maryland 5 Star – the General Assembly:

denied the Governor’s $2.5 million request for the Maryland 5 Star Equestrian Festival;
reduced the Governor’s request for $5,000 in Maryland Stadium Authority funds to $2,500.

Thoroughbred Racing – the General Assembly:

cut its appropriation to the Racing and Community Development Financing Fund from $17 million to $3.6 million;
diverted $3 million in interest earnings on the monies in the Racing and Community Development Financing Fund to the state’s general fund;
abolished the one-year-old Maryland Thoroughbred Racetrack Operating Authority (MTROA) and will terminate its staff effective July 1. The Maryland Stadium Authority and the Maryland Economic Development Corporation will assume MTROA’s duties and obligations instead.

Land Use – the General Assembly:

diverted $25 million away from Project Open Space, Rural Legacy, and the Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Fund to the state’s general fund, and will divert that amount annually through FY29;
and retained $3.5 million in Open Space funding only, to be used only for the Roland Park Community Foundation ($500k) and for projects in Montgomery County ($3 million).

Miscellaneous – the General Assembly: